Across the Salt Seas. John Bloundelle-Burton

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СКАЧАТЬ They have been too quick; got in too soon-and-and what's the end on't? Those are the galleons going out-back again to the sea-and the English fleet can stop in Cadiz till the forts sink 'em or they rot. Give me some more drink. 'Of all the girls that there can be, the Indy girl's the girl for me,'" and he fell a-singing.

      "If he is right, my Lord Marlborough has been deceived," I whispered to myself. "Yet which knows the most? Still this old ruffian must be right. Who else could be putting to sea but the galleons?" and I went back once more to my cabin to ponder over matters.

      But now-all in a moment-there arose such an infernal hubbub from that other cabin that one might have thought all the fiends from below had been suddenly let loose; howls from the negro, so that I thought the other must be killing of him in his drunken frenzy; peals of laughter from the old man, bangings and kickings of bulkheads and the crash of a falling glass. And, in the middle of it all, down ran Tandy from the deck above, with, as I thought, a more concerned look upon his face than even such an uproar as this called for. Then he made at once for the cabin where those two were; yet, even as he advanced swiftly, he paused to ask me if I had heard him speak a passing picaroon a quarter of an hour back.

      "Not I," I replied. "Who could hear aught above in such a din as this below? What did they tell you?"

      "Bad! Bad news. But first to quell these brutes," and he ran on as he spoke, and kicked against the fast-closed cabin door.

      "Bad news!" I repeated to myself, even as I followed him. "Bad news. My God! the old villain is right and the galleons have escaped. Farewell, my hopes of promotion; I may as well get back to the regiment by the first chance that comes."

      But now I had to listen to Tandy setting his other passenger to his facings, which he did without more ado, since, the cabin door not being opened quick enough, he applied his brawny shoulder to it and soon forced it to slide back in its frame, the lock being torn out by his exertion. Then after a few oaths and curses, which need not be set down here, he roared as follows:

      "See here, you drunken, disreputable old vagabond, out you go from this ship to-morrow morning, either ashore in Lagos bay or in the first Guarda Costa or sailing smack that comes anigh us carrying the Portygee colours. And as for you, you black, shambling brute," turning to the negro and seizing him by the wool, whereby he dragged him into the gangway, after which he administered to him a rousing kick, "get you forward amongst the men, and, by God! if you come back aft again I'll shoot you like a dog."

      "My friend," said old Carstairs, speaking now with as much sobriety and dignity as though he had been drinking water all these days; "my good friend, you forget. I have paid my passage to Cadiz, and to Cadiz I will go, or the nearest touching point. Also, there are laws-"

      "There are," roared Tandy, "and 'twill not suit you to come within a hundred leagues of any of them. To-morrow you go ashore."

      "I have business with the in-coming galleons," said Carstairs, leering at him. "Those galleons going out now will come in again, you know. Soon!" and still he leered.

      "Galleons, you fool!" replied the captain. "Those are the English warships. Your precious galleons may be at the bottom of the ocean. Very like are by now."

      And then that old man's face was a sight to see, as, suddenly, it blanched a deathly white.

      "The English warships," he murmured. "The English warships," and then fell back gasping to his berth, muttering: "Out here! Out here!"

      "Is this true?" I asked him a moment later, as we went along forward together. "Is it true?"

      "Ay, partly," he replied. "Partly. They are the English ships of war, but, my lad, I have had news which I did not tell him. They are in retreat. Have failed. Cadiz is not taken, and they are on their way back to England."

      "My God!" I exclaimed. And I know that as I so spoke I, too, was white to the lips.

      "On their way back to England!" I repeated.

      "Ay-that's it," he said.

      CHAPTER VI.

      GALLEONS ABOUT!

      "What's to do now? That's the question," said Tandy, an hour later, as he and I sat in his little cabin abaft the mainmast, while, to hearten ourselves up, we sipped together a bottle of Florence wine which he had on board, and he sucked at his great pipe. "What now? No use for me to think of Cadiz, though what a chance I would have had if our countrymen had only made themselves masters of it! And for you, Mr. Crespin? For you? I suppose, in truth, you knew of this-had some affair of commerce, too, which brought you this way, on the idea that they would be sure to capture the place."

      "Ay, I had some idea," I answered, moodily, thinking it mattered very little what I said now, short of the still great secret that the galleons were going into Vigo, and never did mean coming into these more southern regions. This secret I still kept, I say-and for one reason. It was this, namely, that I thought it very likely that, even though the fleet under Rooke might be driven back from Cadiz, they yet had a chance of encountering the galleons making their way up to Vigo, and, if they did so, I felt very sure that they would attack those vessels, even in their own hour of defeat. Therefore, I said nothing about the real destination of the Spanish treasure ships, though I knew well enough that all hope was gone of my being the fortunate individual to put my countrymen on their track.

      Also, I remembered that that hoary-headed old ruffian, Carstairs, had spoken of two at least of those galleons as being of importance to him-and you may be sure that I had no intention whatever of enlightening him as to anything I knew.

      "What did the Portuguese picaroon tell you?" I asked of Tandy, now; "what information give? And-are they sure of their news?"

      "Oh, very sure," he answered. "No doubt about that. No doubt whatever that we have failed in the attack on Cadiz-abandoned the siege, gone home. They were too many for us there, and-'tis not often that it happens, God be praised! – we are beaten."

      "But why so sure? And are they-these Portuguese-to be trusted?"

      "What use to tell lies? They are Portuguese, and would have welcomed a victory."

      I shrugged my shoulders at this-then asked again what the strength of their information was.

      To which the captain made reply:

      "They came in, it seems, early in the month, and called on the governor to declare for Austria against France, to which he returned reply that it was not his custom to desert his king, as many of the English were in the habit of doing, he understood; whereon-the Duke of Ormond being vexed by such an answer, which, it seems, did reflect on him-the siege of Port St. Mary's commenced, the place being taken by our people and being found to be full of wealth-"

      "Taken and full of wealth!" I exclaimed. "Yet you say we are defeated!"

      "Listen," went on Tandy, "that was as nothing; for now the German Prince of Hesse-Darmstadt, who had come too, in the interests of his Austrian master, interfered, begging of Rooke and that other not to destroy the town, since it would injure their cause forever with the Spaniards, and-and-well, the Portygee captain of that picaroon I spoke says that they were only too willing to fall in with his desires and retire without making further attempt."

      "And these are English seamen and soldiers!" I muttered furiously. "My God! To turn tail thus!"

      "Ormond agreed not with these views, it seems," Tandy went on, "but he could not outweigh the admirals-and that is all I know, except that he will perhaps impeach 'em when they get back to England. And, anyway, they are gone."

      "And СКАЧАТЬ